Paging the Queen, Yoohoo Queen, You there?

This morning I woke up and got ready to walk. I kept noticing this funny looking rock outside that I didnt remember having- I would have turned it into a rock person Im sure so I just kept watch on it as I dressed. Hmmmm, it is looking very dog like. Hmmmmm, it moved its dog like head. Dang, God sent me a dog!!!!! A very shy dog that bolted.

I like to have a dog along when I walk. If there is a dog beside me I do not have to focus so much on my surroundings and can let my mind wander. Hubby suggested I go to the Humane Society and get a big dog for here- only trouble is #1 I would get very attached in 2 weeks time, and B. there will be no big dog traveling home with us. So, I decided that we need to design specialized dogs for people like me who only need them sporadically. You know those ads for those wonder space bags- how about a large dog sized bag that will hold a dog. You rehydrate the dog when you arrive and when you leave you just place the dog in the bag and suck out all the air. You could leave it in the window to guard the place.

Today was a very difficult walk. It finally dawned on me at the very end why. The dog thing had gotten me way out of my usual rhythm and I never seemed to get it today. It is very important when walking this areas to be paying close attention to everything you can take in. I watch the trail for foot prints, for scat, for animals still standing there. I pay attention to the smells and I listen very carefully. Big animals will make big crashing sounds as they come running at you.

I was not very attentive today at all. And this didnt seem to hit my consciousness till I realized I didnt have a clue how far down the trail I was on my return. Had I passed the 1/2 mile sign? Did I know where I was? It is hard to get lost when you are on a trail and have never left it- atleast in this case. The walk is 1.3 miles up the mountain and then you turn around and do it again going downhill. So I wasnt lost, I just had no sense of pretty much anything.

I was still seeing and smelling and sorta listening but it was not really registering. I was doing to many mental gymnastics today. Should I go to the airport to pick up hubbys brother with him? I dont want to but should I go? When should we invite our friends for dinner? What should I fix? Oh I have just the recipe- something Italian!!!

Bam, it hit me. I had been seeing lots of large dog tracks near the bottom of the trail just above the beaver dam gate. Here I was seeing them for the second time today. Dogs can't retract their claws. A dog this size making tracks this deep would most certainly leave claw marks. Damn, was this a Mountain Lion making all these tracks? And there I was not paying any attention. Geesh.